A Matter of Getting Deeper In
by wowsugarpuss
Summary: Edward and Alice drive Bella home when she is released from the hospital in Phoenix.


Renée seemed happy—relieved almost—to let me fly home with Carlisle, Edward and Alice. She was worried about leaving Phil to organize their move by himself, although he was probably equally worried about letting her help at all. At the airport she kissed me goodbye and I told her I would visit when she was in Jacksonville.

I never boarded the plane. We took the car. Carlisle flew back to Port Angeles with the others, who Renee had not been aware were also in Phoenix. I wasn't quite sure why Alice and Edward seemed so intent on driving the distance back but wherever he was I was going to be.

Sometimes Alice would drive, speeding down the highway without as much as a ticket, while I slept in Edward's arms. I was exhausted and the pain medication made me drowsy. Other times Alice would take the passenger seat while I stretched out in the back, once again resting my head on a lump of clothes.

"We should have bought her a pillow," Alice sighed.

"I never thought."

"I'm fine," I mumbled from the back.

My face pressed into the soft cotton of one of the many shirts Alice had picked out for me. They still smelled of the store and paper bags. If I'd had the energy to move I would have asked for Edward's jacket. The soft suede engrained with his scent would have been heaven.

It was surprisingly easy to fall asleep. Although we drove faster than some race cars the ride was smooth and the soft hum of the engine lulled me towards unconsciousness, even without Edward at my side. The last thing I heard as my eyes slipped closed was the quiet buzz of Edward's voice as he answered unspoken questions from Alice too quickly for me to make out the individual words.

When I opened my eyes again the car was stationary. Someone was calling my name.

"Bella… Bella… hey, Bella, wake up. It's time to eat!"

It was Alice. A brief flash of hysteria ripped through me as I thought of her and Edward eating before I realized it was time for me to eat. They were both laughing at me while I looked out of the window to see a shabby road-side diner.

"It's not funny to laugh at cripples."

"We're not laughing at you, Bella," Edward assured.

His eyes were still full of mirth as he moved out of the car and swung open my door. The cast was heavy on my leg and I needed him to support most of my weight.

"I could carry you," he offered.

I heard the hope in his voice. I wasn't sure if he was more worried about the pain walking could cause me or the incredibly slow speed I was going to force him to stick to.

"No," I said forcefully. "I can walk."

Alice skipped along beside us ready to help catch me if I fell, not that she would have to with Edward's reflexes. They shuffled me through the door and into a worn, plastic booth. The greasy smell was entirely unappetizing. My stomach twisted. It was almost completely empty but I was still terrified of losing its contents all over the tabletop. It was embarrassing being the only one with active bodily functions.

"What would you like to eat?" Edward asked serenely.

Alice had a sticky menu in her hands although I guessed she would not be eating anything from it.

"What about pancakes?" she asked excitedly. "They have ones with blueberries in them. What does a blueberry taste like?"

I shrugged. "Um… I don't know really. It just tastes like… a blueberry."

She scowled at me.

"It's not my fault you don't remember food."

She pouted at me from across the table and Edward rolled his eyes. Without asking again he left the table and headed to the counter to order for me. He came back with two coffees and a glass of orange juice. He set the glass in front of me and pushed a mug of the steaming coffee across to Alice. It was her turn to roll her eyes at him as she laughed.

"Alice," I whispered urgently. "People are going to look!"

She shrugged and fluttered her fingers at a table on the other side of the room whose occupants were all staring at us openly. Truthfully they would probably be too distracted by Edward and Alice to notice that neither of them were eating. Three plates of food were brought over to the table and I had the sneaking suspicion that they wanted me to eat all of it.

"I'm not eating all this," I protested.

Edward shrugged. He wrapped his long fingers around his cup of coffee.

"Just what you can, then."

Alice too had her hands around her mug and I realized that they must enjoy the warmth. I picked up my fork self-consciously and took a bite of the syrup-smothered stack of pancakes on my plate. They both watched me intently.

It was completely unnerving and eventually I snapped, "It's rude to stare."

They both looked chastised. Alice looked away, scanning the crowded diner. Edward's gaze wandered to the window, staring out through the dusky light into the parking lot. I looked down at my food—instantaneous guilt washing over me—and poked at my scrambled eggs ineffectually.

"We know you're not eating, Bella," Alice chided although her eyes never turned back to me. She shoved a plate full of toast towards me.

I groaned. "I don't think I can eat anymore." I looked up at Edward pleadingly. "I feel sick."

His eyes softened. "We can stop later."

The food they had ordered for me couldn't have come to more than fifteen dollars but Alice left a fifty dollar bill on the table as Edward scooped me onto my feet and helped me to the door.

"How much did you just tip?" I asked him accusatorially.

He smiled down at me wryly. "I don't know. I didn't pay."

I pursed my lips in exasperation and let him half-carry me back to the car. There really was no easy way to get me in the backseat but he managed without bumping my cast once. It was a miracle really but I shouldn't have been surprised.

Edward slid in beside me effortlessly as Alice once again took the wheel. I sighed gratefully as his arms wrapped around my waist. As the engine started and we headed—too fast—towards Forks, I let my face fall into the crook of his shoulder, closing my eyes as the car's quiet purr lulled me back into unconsciousness.


End file.
